Seven keys to attracting the right employees for bus companies in 2024

Many bus companies have vacancies to fill and cannot find suitable applicants. That is precisely the audience Ali El-Chami targeted when he set up AJency. His company helps companies recruit the best employees for their needs. He previously gained recruiting experience in management with a fitness provider, and first came into contact with the bus industry through his brother-in-law, himself a driver and unhappy in his job due to overtime and a lack of appreciation for his work.

His concept for helping bus companies to become more visible to potential applicants and develop their own employer brand is summarised in the "seven keys". To begin with, it was important to choose the right platform, he said. Nowadays, one no longer found new employees through newspaper ads or online sources such as eBay classifieds, but via social media. Advertising on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok had a broad reach.

Companies should ask themselves the following question when advertising a job vacancy: what do skilled workers want to see? Four out of ten stopped reading an ad if it did not contain the right information. It was important to emphasise the company’s benefits over other employers. Ajency used AI-based tools to create ads. Friendly faces and a direct approach were important in order for a campaign to be successful. Companies needed to market themselves with professional photos and videos in order to appeal to their audience.

Instead of providing a general link to the company website, the founder of Ajency recommended a landing page specifically for the vacancy in question, and which directly addressed the applicant. This should contain information about the company, its philosophy and USPs, but also about the required qualifications. Only then could the company expect to receive applicants who actually satisfied the job profile.

According to El-Chami, interested parties expected a straightforward application process. Ideally, there should be a form for making a direct application on the landing page. It should request as much important information as possible for the job. Many of the steps in this process could be automated. For example, AI could contact applicants directly via WhatsApp, check whether the data was correct and arrange a telephone appointment. This would save the bus company time. During the initial phone call, it could clarify why the applicant was looking for a new job and whether their requirements, such as no weekend work, could be met. Only then would a face-to-face meeting follow.